News Editor Madalyn Edwards curated this story from the “Appalachian Authors” archive collection in App State’s Special Collections Research Center.
Appalachian novelist Charles Frazier is most famous for his novel “Cold Mountain,” which won the National Book Award in 1997.
The literary fiction novel follows the story of a wounded soldier who served in the Confederate Army and aims to journey back home to Cold Mountain.
The Special Collections Research Center contains several newspaper clippings about the Asheville author’s success, including interviews with him about his connections to rural Appalachia.
“A lot of writers bristle at the notion of being called a regional writer, but every moment I thought I wanted the book to be as intensely regional as I could make it,” Frazier was quoted in one newspaper clipping from the archive.
Many clippings come from local publications, including the Asheville Citizen-Times.
One clipping, titled “The real Cold Mountain” looks at the real-life location of Cold Mountain that inspired the final destination mentioned in the novel. Another reports on Frazier’s visit to the local Wilkes library in 2000.
Other clippings from the Special Collections report on the success and legacy of the novel and the author, reviewing other books written by Frazier.
The collection of Appalachian authors in the archives is not limited to Frazier and contains clippings and archives from a wide range of writers.
